Soda-water-dispensing apparatus.



No. 686,368. Patented Nov. l2, [90L L. TUFTS 8:.- W. HELMER.

SODA WATER DISPENSING APPARATUS.

(Appiication filed July 3, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Shae.ts$heet I.

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SODA WATER DISPENSING APPARATUS.

(Application filed July 3, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet '2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD TUFTS, OF MEDFORD, AND WILLIAM HELMER, OF BOSTON, MAS- SACHUSETTS;'ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN SODA FOUNTAIN COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SODA-'-WAT ER-DISPE NSING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,368, dated November 12, 1901.

Application filed Jul 3, 1901.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, LEONARD TUFTS, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex, and WILLIAM HELWER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soda- Water- Dlspensing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of sodawater apparatus in which the syrup-cans are introduced within the can-chamber through an opening in the front of the casing and are detachably mounted on swinging frames having a parallel motion, and has for its objects simplification of construction and convenience ofoperation and manipulation by avoiding the use of c0unterbalancing-weights and retainingsprings and so constructing the swinging frames that the syrup-cans will be retained in place by gravity when within the apparatus and rest firmly in their holders on the counter-slab when swung out of the apparatus for the purpose of inspection, replenishing, or removal for cleaning, and so that each syrup-can may be lifted out of its holder and its frame swung back into the apparatus, thus closing the syrup-can chamber and exeluding warm air therefrom, besides main-' o taining the neat and attractive appearance of the apparatus.

To these ends our invention consists in the combination, with a syrup-can chamber having an open front, of a syrup-can holder pro- Vided with a face-plate forming a door for said chamber and mounted on a supporting device consisting of a pair of swinging arms pivoted at their upper ends to the can-holder and at their lower ends to the bottom of the can-chamber, the front swinging arm having two buifers located, respectively, on its outer and inner sides, the outer bufier being adapted to rest on the counterslab when the canholder is drawn out of the apparatus and the inner buffer forming a rest for the inner swinging arm, as hereinafter set forth.

Our invention also consists in certain other novel features and details of construction, as hereinafter fully set forth and specifically 5 pointed out in the claims.

Serial No. 67,061. (No model.)

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a soda-water apparatus embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar section of a portion of the apparat-us, showing one of thesyrup-cans swung outward and downward into a position for filling. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a por= tion of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a plan of the syrup-can holder, showing the drainage-spout at the bottom of the same. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the rear swinging arm of the cansupporting device. Fig. 6 is a view of the faucet-key. Fig. 7 is a view of the faucetplug.

In the said drawings, A represents the outer casing of a soda-water apparatus composed of suitable material and provided with a metallic lining a.

B is an ice-box or cooling-chamber containing a series of coolers b of any suitable construction, which are connected, as usual, with the draft-tube c at the front of the casing.

In front of the cooling-chamber B is located the can-chamber C, in which are placed aseries of syrup-cans D, which are arranged side byside, as shown in Fig. 3, within said chamber, into which they are introduced through a longitudinal opening formed in the front of the casing and extending from side to side of the apparatus. The bottom of each syrupcan D rests in a socket or holder E, properly shaped to receive it; and provided at its botton on two opposite sides with projections g, which serve to keep the bottom of the can slightly raised above the bottom of the holder, wherebya space is left for any water of condensation which maycollect on and flow down the sides of the syrup-cans, the bottom of the holder being provided at its rear end with a drainage-spout 15, from which the water will drop into a trough or gutter 16, arranged directly beneath it and preferably secured to the rear wall 17 of the can-chamber, said gutter being provided with a suitable dischargeoutlet 18,preferably leading into the ice-boXB.

Each can-holder E is mounted on a swinging supporting device consisting of a pair of arms G H, the upper ends of which are pivoted at h h to the bottom of the holder, while their lower ends are pivoted at 7c to the hottom of the can-chamber, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby the said arms are caused to move in parallelism, the can-holder and can being thus supported in such manner that they can be swung outwardly and downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2, when the can maybe refilled without removing it from the holder E or lifted out of the holder for cleaning, if desired. The upper and lower pivotal points of the arms G H are so located with relation to each other that when the canholder and can are fully swung back within the can-chamber the upper pivotal point hof each swinging arm will lie in a vertical plane in the rear of its lower pivotal point it, so that as soon as the pivots h h have passed the center on the inward swing the weight of the can and its supporting device will tend to carry them inward, and thus hold them securely in place within the can-chamber, the employment of counterbalancing-weights and springcatches for retaining the cans in place within the can-chamber being thus rendered unnecessary. The foregoing construction enables the can-chamber, the lower portion of which is covered by the front swinging arm G,which is of a suflicient width for the purpose and forms an ornamental plate or door, the panels K being held tightly against the front of the apparatus by the Weight of the can and supporting device, which tends to carry them inward, as above described. After the can has been lifted out of its holder its supportingframe may be swung back into the apparatus, thus causing its face-plate or door K to close the can-chamber and exclude warm air therefrom, besides maintaining the neat and attractive appearance of the apparatus.

The front swinging arm G is provided on its outer side near the top with an elastic buffer 20 and on its inner side near the center with a similar buffer 21, whereby when the can-supporting device is swung out of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 2, the buffer 20 will rest on the counter-slab N to form a stop for the bottom of the can at its center, while the buffer 21 will form a rest or stop for the rear swinging arm H and serve to support the rear of the can, the two buffers affording a firm bearing for the can-supporting device, the can, and its contents.

To the front lower edge of the syrup-can is secured a gate or faucet M, the outer end of the plug 23 of which is squared on two sides at right angles with the opening in said plug, so that when the faucet is closed the squared sides of the plug 23 will lie in vertithe plug 23.

What we claim as our'invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a soda-Water apparatus, the combination with the syrup-can chamber having an open front, of a syrup-can holder provided with a face-plate forming a door for said chamber and mounted on a supporting device consisting of a pair of swinging arms pivoted at their upper ends to the can-holder and at their lower ends to the bottom of the can-chamber, the front swinging arm having two buffers located respectively on its outer and innersides, the outer buffer beingadapted to rest on the counter-slab when the canholder is drawn out of the apparatus and the inner buffer forming a rest for the inner swinging arm, substantially as described.

2. In a soda-water apparatus, the combination with a syrup-can chamber, of a syrupcan holder provided with a drainage-spout and having a face-plate forming a door for said can -chamber, a trough or gutter arranged beneath said spout to receive the drainage therefrom, and a swinging support-- ing device for said holder pivoted within said can-chamber and provided with a buffer or stop, substantially as described.

3. In a soda-water apparatus, the combination with a syrup-can chamber, of a syrupcan holder provided with a drainage-spout and having a face-plate forming a door for said can-chamber, a trough or gutter arranged beneath said spout to receive the drainage therefrom, a swinging supporting device for said holder pivoted within said can-chamber and provided with a buffer or stop, a syrupcan mounted on said holder and having a faucet, and a key journaled in the outer faceplate of the holder and adapted to engage the stem of the faucet, the key and faucet being so constructed that they may be disconnected, when the faucet is closed, by lifting the syrup-can out of the holder, substantially as described.

Witness our hands this 28th day of June, A. D. 1901.

LEONARD TUFTS. WILLIAM HELMER. In presence of GEORGE A. SwEETsER, JOHN MAcKsEY. 

